FEBRUARY 2019 | VOLUME 34, ISSUE 02

D­AI­ICHI­BONSAI­KAI

Serenity through Bonsai

D­AI­ICHI­BONSAI­KAI2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jason Saito President

Newsletter / Website / Social Media

Doyle Saito 1st Vice President

Program Chair

Robert King 2nd Vice President

John van de Wouw Show Chair

Past President

CJ Levinstein Membership Chair

Treasurer

Joan Shiozaki Corresponding Secretary

Judy Unrine Recording Secretary

Historian

Shirley Floresca Fundraising Chair

Carol Takahashi Librarian

Kevin Sweeney Benefit Drawing Chair

Barry Miller Hospitality

Club Photographer

Dan Sawada Publicity

CLUB FOUNDERS

Leila Kusumi Co-Founder | Sensei

Jim Tatsukawa Co-Founder | Sensei

Due to an unfortunately timed power outage, the Ken Nakaoka Center was closed and we had to cancel our January meeting. Our

apologies to our featured presenter, Ed Clark, and to our members.

For those that did show up though, we had a blast hanging out in the parking lot with you all, eating pizza and chips (thanks Allan and the Hoxies!), and talking bonsai.

Moving forward into 2019, we have a fantastic roster of monthly demonstrators coming up. This Friday’s meeting will feature Elsa Boudori. Elsa has been passionate about bonsai since the age of 14. She currently teaches and demonstrates her bonsai techniques in her native Greece, and throughout the world. This is a demo you won’t want to miss.

Next month brings Will Baddeley back to DIBK to do another fantastic carving and styling demo. Will will also be conducting another Masters Series workshop where you can bring in your trees and get styling advice, as well as learn to use the tools and techniques to create beautiful, naturalistic deadwood. See the workshop advertisement in this issue for more information.

P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E

IN THIS ISSUE

4BAIKOEN SILHOUETTES Show Coverage

7DIBK WORKSHOP Event Coverage

It’s time to renew yourANNUAL

CLUB MEMBERSHIP

Individual Membership $25.00 per year

Family Membership

$35.00 per year

Your dues enable the club to present activities such as our annual show, guest demonstrations, workshops, the Dai Ichi Gazette, club library,

as well as refreshments and club raffles and events.

You can pay your dues in person at the next club meeting,

or by mailing your check to:CJ Levinstein

827 East Marshall Place Long Beach, CA 90807

Or pay online via PayPal: daiichibonsaikai.com/membership8GOSHIN III

Event Announcement

In May, our featured demonstrator will be Tomohiro Masumi. Masumi, a second generation artist from Kyoto Japan, is the Managing Director of the All Japan Shohin Bonsai Association, and his award winning trees, lectures and demonstrations have been featured throughout the world. His nursery, Koju-En, was founded by his father Hiroichi Masumi, who was the past president of the All Japan Shohin Bonsai Association. Tomohiro will be demonstrating advanced styling and display techniques for shohin. He will also be leading a Masters Series Workshop on shohin techniques.

In July, DIBK is proud to have Bjorn Bjorholm as our featured demonstrator. Bjorn Bjorholm, owner of Eisei-en, is a bonsai artist and instructor who spent six years as an apprentice under Master Keiichi Fujikawa at Kouka-en bonsai nursery in Osaka, Japan before receiving certification as a bonsai professional by the Nippon Bonsai As-sociation. His tenure as an apprentice at Kouka-en was followed by three years as artist-in-residence at the same location, making him the first foreign-born working bonsai professional in Japan. During his time in Japan, Bjorn’s works were featured in the Kokufu-ten, Sakufu-ten, and Taikan-ten exhibitions, among many others.

Bjorn will also be leading a Masters Series Workshop, so if you missed the last one, you have another chance to get incredible styling advice to take your specimen bonsai to the next level!

November brings Colorado based bonsai master, Tood Schlafer. Todd is a long time enthusiast who has been hon-ing his skills under the direction of International Bonsai Master Ryan Neil of Bonsai Mirai. Todd started his Bonsai career under the tutelage of International Bonsai Master Harold Sasaki in Denver, Co. Todd is an avid collector of Colorado Yamadori. Todd has a website called First Branch Bonsai where he sells some of his pre-bonsai collected trees. Todd recently won the American Bonsai Society Finest Native North American Species tree at The 5th US National Bonsai Exhibition, and was awarded the 2010 Rocky Mountain Bonsai Society – Bob Kataoka Memorial Award: Artist of the year.

On April 13-14, DIBK will once again feature an exhibit at the Torrance Sister Cities event, “Bunka-Sai” Japanese Festival. We will be doing several short demonstrations and presentations as well as featuring a small grouping of some of the club member’s finest trees. We are looking for members who would like to participate in the event, speaking to the public, and sharing our love for bonsai. If interested please contact me or Doyle.

Our annual club show “Serenity through Bonsai” is scheduled for May 5th and 6th, and ALL members of DIBK are encouraged to show a tree as well as to sign up to assist with the show. Not too late to think about what trees you want to groom for the exhibition.

Live. Love. Grow.

Jason Saito

Baikoen Bonsai Kenkyukai held their 55th annual Winter Silhou-ettes show at the LA Arboretum in Arcadia. The show featured deciduous trees in their winter forms, where the structure of the tree can be fully viewed and appreciated. In addition to the stellar exhibition, the show also featured vendors, demos, and a Saturday night reception and raffle.

B A I K O E N B O N S A I K E N K Y U K A I

S I L H O U E T T E S

B A I K O E N S I L H O U E T T E SKEI IKARI | Crepe Myrtle

CHARLIE WASHBURN | Pomegranate

CAROL UPSTON | Chinese Elm

ELLEN KENESHEA Chinese Elm

KEN TEH | Pomegranate

B A I K O E N S I L H O U E T T E SLINDSAY SHIBA | Korean Hornbeam

Take a full walking tour of the show hosted by Tom Lau, on Baikoen’s YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2SkQvPY

Learn more about Baikoen Bonsai Kenkyukai at: www.baikoenbonsai.com

Our monthly workshops have been fruitful and well attended. It’s a great way to keep up on maintenance and styling work as

well as to learn or teach a thing or two.

We are still in repotting and styling season, so if you have trees to work on, contact Doyle to sign up for the next session on February 16th!

D I B K M E M B E R S W O R K S H O PPhotos by Shirley and Fred Floresca

Next workshopSaturday, February 16

The Golden State Bonsai Federation and The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botani-cal Gardens will be regaining an important bonsai masterpiece on Saturday, March 23, 2019, as the California Bonsai Society and GSBF host Jack Sustic, former curator of the

North American Bonsai Collection at the US National Arboretum in Washington, DC, to lead the replanting of “Goshin III” during the 62nd annual CBS Bonsai Exhibition. The public demonstra-tion will take place from 1 - 4 pm in the Botanical Auditorium on the lower level of the Brody Botanical Center (near the elevator) at The Huntington.

The original “Goshin,” or Guardian of the Spirit, is a forest-style bonsai created by John Naka, and is far and away the most famous American bonsai. The planting features 11 foemina juni-pers (Juniperus chinensis ‘Foemina’), with training of the oldest starting in 1948. As arranged, the trees represent John’s children and grandchildren.

John donated the tree to the National Bonsai Foundation in 1984, and it moved to the US National Arboretum where it remains to this day. However the California bonsai community felt the loss of such an important masterpiece and requested John to recreate it. So, at two different convention events in the 1990’s, John and a team created replicas. Known as “Goshin II” and “Goshin III,” the plantings were subsequently given to each of the GSBF Collection sites, the GSBF Bonsai Museum at Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA, and the GSBF Collection at The Hunting-ton, respectively. “Goshin III” arrived at The Huntington in February, 2001.

Due to various circumstances, including some of the aggressive work during the initial planting and using trees that had less developed root systems, “Goshin III” suffered. A couple trees died; others were weakened by degraded soil. In April, 2015, the forest was dis-assembled and the individual trees were planted in separate pots with good bonsai soil. Over the past few years, they were brought back to health and groomed to build more complete, refined foliage pads. In addition, additional trees have been developed as replacements, so the replanted piece will look mature when completed.

Jack Sustic will lead the replanting team. While serving as curator of the US National Bonsai Collection, Jack was responsible for the maintenance and care of the original “Goshin” for many years. However, as a friend and devotee of John’s, Jack also participated in the creation of both “Goshin II” and “Goshin III.” With the other original team members passed on, Jack is the most qualified of any to ensure a faithful reproduction of the original.

Started by John Naka in 1950’s, the California Bonsai Society is a club with members predomi-nantly at the advanced level of the art. The 62nd annual exhibit will feature masterpiece quality bonsai, with a focus on trees that have been in training over a long time--often decades--so they no longer show evidence of training. In addition, the exhibition often has a mix of fine view-ing stones. The exhibit runs from 10 am - 5 pm both Saturday and Sunday in the Ahmanson Classroom and Banta Hall.

R E S U R R E C T I O NT H E R E S T Y L I N G O F

J O H N N A K A ’ S G O S H I N I I I

By Ellen Keneshea

D I B K M A S T E R S E R I E S W O R K S H O P

P R O U D L Y P R E S E N T S

W I L L B A D D E L E YAdvanced Carving Workshop

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 20199:00AM – 2:00PM

GARDENA, CA

$125 members • $150 non members*

Returning to DIBK is UK based bonsai artist Will Baddeley. In this workshop, Mr. Baddeley will guide you through utilizing the tools and teaching the prop-er techniques to create natural, and realistic looking deadwood on your bonsai material.

Seating for this workshop will be limited, and will be chosen on a first come, first served basis, so RSVP today! Seats are reserved upon receipt of payment.

For more information and to reserve your spot please email doylesaito@yahoo.com.

* Price includes $25 DIBK membership for the year.

For more event information, please visit bit.ly/GSBF-MoreEvents

EVENTS

February 23 - 24, 2019Bonsai-A-Thon XXIIIThe Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens1151 Oxford RoadHours: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PMAdmission to the event is free with Bonsai-AThon “early bird” registration between8 AM – 9 AM. Pancake breakfast, demonstra-tions, lunch, bonsai exhibits, large sales area,raffle and auction.For more information visit: www.gsbfhuntington.com

March 23 - 24, 2019California Bonsai Society ShowThe Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens1151 Oxford RoadHours: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PMDemonstration Saturday at 11 AM will feature the reconstructing of John Naka’s Goshen 3. Admission fee to enter Huntington Library and Gardens.For more information visit: www.californiabonsaisociety.com

May 19, 2019Sansui Kai Annual Bonsai ShowJapanese Garden6100 Woodley AveHours: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PMDemonstration at 1pm. Come view member trees, members sale table, Bonsai demonstra-tion and tour the beautiful Japanese Garden. For more information contact: Steve Riley at tonapahal1953@gmail.com

GRATITUDE

Thank you to all of the members who contributed. The club truly appreciates your generosity and giving spirit.

ABOUT DAI ICHI BONSAI KAIDai Ichi Bonsai Kai (“Number One” Bonsai Club) was established in January, 1986.

Our club is dedicated to promoting the art of bonsai, and takes great pride in its family-oriented character.

The club meets on the third Friday of each month at the Ken Nakaoka Community Center, 1670 W. 162nd St., Gardena, at 7:00 P.M. Each meeting features a bonsai

demonstration, benefit drawing and the public is welcome.

www.daiichibonsaikai.com

Please feel free to forward this publication to friends, family or anyone with an appreciation for bonsai.

Do you have any comments, questions, or submissions? If so, please contact:Jason Saito ph 310.909.4598 | email jason@zenpalace.com

©2019 Dai Ichi Bonsai Kai. All rights reserved.

MARCH 2019 | WILL BADDELEY (UK) Advanced Deadwood Carving Techniques

Masters Series Workshop

APRIL 2019 | ALEC MARTINEZ Shimpaku Pruning

MAY 2019 | TOMOHIRO MASUMI (JAPAN) Advanced Shohin Techniques

Masters Series Workshop

UPCOMING

All events are tentative and subject to change.

Special thanks toBaikoen Bonsai Kenkyukai, Fred and Shirley Floresca, Ellen Keneshea, California Bonsai Society

for their contributions to this issue of the DIBK Gazette.

Benefit Drawing ContributorsPlease support the club by donating your

bonsai related items to raffle.

Refreshment ContributorsPlease feel free to bring your favorite treats to

the next meeting!

Please remember to sign the contribution sheet so that we may acknowledge your generosity.

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Join us for a demonstration of bonsai skill and artistry by Elsa Boudouri who is making her first appearance in Southern California.

Ms. Boudouri Is from Greece; originally self-taught, she now lives and studies with her teacher Enrico Savini at his Progetto Futuro European Bonsai School in Bologna, Italy.

She has a lot of experience with Mediter-ranean bonsai, which share the same kind of climate that we enjoy in California, so it will be interesting to hear her insights.

This is a fantastic opportunity to experience a styling demonstration from a world class bonsai artist. See you there!

ELSA BOUDOURI STYLING DEMO